SAIC Renovates Iconic Columbus Drive Building

SAIC Renovates Iconic Columbus Drive Building

Four years ago, the department of Instructional Resources and Facilities Management (IRFM) began a modernization of the entire 142,000 square-foot Columbus Drive Building. With renovations completed this fall, IRFM unveiled several new educational spaces converted from the School's former auditorium. The new spaces are a state-of-the-art photography studio with color tunable lighting and a cyclorama wall, a printmedia classroom for non-traditional practices, and three new painting and drawing spaces with skylights and adjustable lighting.

The first floor stairwell has also been restored to its original 1976 design while a new atrium traversing the second and third floors allows natural light to enter each floor. Colorful architectural elements and improved lighting throughout the building further serve to tie together the different floors and spaces into a cohesive visual identity. Environmentally significant changes throughout the building include new and improved energy-efficient basement lighting and fully modernized HVAC and sprinkler systems. View photos of the renovation and other IRFM projects on @saic_irfm_dc on Instagram.

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers​, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries​, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate​, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, Jeff Koons, and LeRoy Neiman.